Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, recovering from bursitis in his left knee, thinks that beginning his rehab assignment with Class-A Potomac on Tuesday is a day or two too early. Via MLB.com’s Tom Schad:

“Tuesday, that’s kind of early,” Harper said. “I’m thinking Wednesday or Thursday maybe. I’m not sure. We’ll see how I feel. If I feel good, then I’ll go play. If I feel something isn’t right, then I’m not going to go play. It depends on how I’m feeling.”

Manager Davey Johnson wants to get Harper back in action sooner rather than later.

“When a player starts playing, it’s really up to me, what I think they need. Not up to the player,” Johnson said. “I’m always trying to do what’s best for the player. But at the same time, it’s my job to know when they’re ready and when they’re not.

“He’s probably worried about timing and everything being letter perfect. All that changes if you’re in Potomac. You may never get your timing there because it’s a whole new ballgame there, guys don’t have command as well as they do up here, and there’s a big variation in how they pitch to guys.”

Schad also writes that Harper wants to play in six or seven rehab games before rejoining his teammates in Washington.

It is refreshing to see a player, particularly one as young as Harper (20), err on the side of caution. Too often, we see players come back too early from an injury or choose to play through the pain. In fact, Angel Pagan recently refused surgery to fix his injured hamstring and only exacerbated the problem.